Kudos to the cancer care providers and volunteer drivers

By Sharon Weatherall

 

It’s time I acknowledged and said thanks to those services and people who have been helping me for the past couple of years.

  

Since I was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and became very ill in 2012, I have had my eyes opened to a whole new world that includes the work of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and Saint Elizabeth. These are two of several important organizations out there to assist people like me but the two I have come to know first-hand. 

 

The word ‘society’ now has a different meaning to me. It represents help to those who are sick and their families.

When I lay sick and weak in my bed and needed assistance just to walk across the room, Personal Support Workers (PSW’s) and Registered Nurses (RN’s) from Saint Elizabeth visited my house on a regular basis to deliver services that I could not do without. While the nurses cleaned my pick line and administered hydration after chemotherapy, checking my vitals and making sure I was ok, the PSW workers visited on a regular basis to help me shower, tidy my house, make lunches, vacuum and provide watchful company when my husband had to run out to do errands.

These services were much appreciated by both of us and carried on for months while I was sick. Eventually I became stronger and no longer needed them, but was assured further assistance was just a phone call away should I need it again. During my critical illness I was also provided at no cost with cancer care items like a hospital bed, bath aides and at one point oxygen so I could remain at home comfortably.

Since becoming sick I have been on chemotherapy treatments which have helped me gain my strength back and feel more like myself. I am now taking my third series of treatments, which are sustaining me and so far, helping to maintain my unpredictable disease. This recent series is taking place in Toronto and began in June following a two week round of radiation.

Because of the travel I have come to know a generous and compassionate group of people who are crucial to the cancer care system. Volunteer drivers donate their time and energy to get patients back and forth to treatments and appointments whether they are in Toronto at one of several cancer care hospitals or at a local facility like Royal Victoria Hospital’s (RVH) cancer care centre in Barrie.

Volunteer drivers are not paid and reimbursed only for their gas mileage – they are not allowed to take monetary gifts from patients. They provide this service out of the goodness of their hearts. Most drivers say they drive for the CCS Wheels of Hope Transportation Program to “give back” or because in many cases, they have lost a loved one or friend to cancer. They are fearless veterans of the roads often driving through hectic and dangerous traffic conditions to get their patent to an appointment on time.

Volunteer drivers gladly answer calls through the CCS, when people need rides. They will get up at 4:30 in the morning to pick up patients at 6 a.m. who need to be in Toronto for a 9 a.m. appointment. Often times when someone has more than one appointment in a day these patient souls sit and wait for hours until they receive the word their passenger is ready to be picked up. Patients can try to give an estimated time as to when they will be done but at a huge cancer care facility dealing with hundreds of people per day, schedules can often fall by the wayside or complications with a treatment can cause lengthy delays. The people who do the scheduling for CCS transportation are a special breed too, going that 'extra mile' to ensure that cancer patients who call needing a ride get one. Rarely due to circumstances beyond their control a ride may not be arranged, but since I started using the service, I have never been let down.   

Most CCS drivers will go to the Princess Margaret Lodge on Jarvis Street in Toronto to wait for their call that a patient is ready to go home.  There they are provided with an area where they can read, rest, or socialize with other drivers. The CCS will call them when their passenger is ready and the pick-up takes place within 15 minutes of the call. It’s what drivers do – they dedicate the day they drive to the cause and deal with every situation smiling.

The PM Lodge is a wonderful place for cancer patients to stay while they are receiving treatment at one of the cancer treatment centres in Toronto in the United Hospitals Network (UHN) - including Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret and Toronto Rehab. Patients can stay at the lodge for just $20 per night which includes three healthy meals a day and hourly shuttle service to the hospital where they are taking treatments.  The lodge is centrally located so people staying there can walk to stores, restaurants and other destinations nearby. It is located about a 25 minute walk from Princess Margaret and Toronto General for those patients who choose not to take the shuttle.  At the lodge there are two patients booked into each room so people fast become friends with their roommates.

  

Since becoming a cancer patient I have learned a lot about the services provided to help you through trying times. I can’t say enough about the staff at cancer centres being professional and compassionate to your needs.  You are always in the best hands possible.  These people are trained in their individual fields to help in whatever you need along the way.

Fighting cancer is an ongoing battle and one that can change at the flip of a switch. It’s a battle for which a person needs endless help and support to survive.  I am so thankful to be living in Ontario, Canada where fighting my battle has been made so much easier thanks to a system set in place for those unfortunate enough to have cancer. Sadly these numbers grow daily as more and more people are diagnosed.

I am sure there are many more services and volunteer organizations out there I have not had access to yet but which also need recognition. Speaking for myself and all others with cancer I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. And special thanks to the millions of people who financially support these crucial services to help make them possible in the first place.

I cannot complete this article without thanking my husband, family and friends for their ongoing help and support during my illness. You are my light at the end of the tunnel and my strength to face each precious new day.